Trenching hoe having spread footing cutting means



-Nov. 22, 1966 G. H. LONG 3,286,377

TRENCHING HOE HAVING SPREAD FOOTING CUTTING MEANS Filed Nov. 20, 1963 2Sheets-Sheet l Ilm 'IIII II I l 26 INVENTOR- 20 31b 26b 26d GLENNH. LONGATTORNEY Nov. 22, 1966 e. H. LONG TRENCHING HOE HAVING SPREAD FOOTINGCUTTING MEANS Filed NOV. 20, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. GLE NNH.LONG ATTORN EY United States Patent 3,286,377 TRENCHING HOE HAVINGSPREAD FOOTING CUTTING MEANS Glenn H. Long, 3003 Central, Glenview, Ill.Filed Nov. 20, 1963, Ser. No. 324,940

2 Claims. (Cl. 37-118) 1 This invention relates generally to diggingimplements,

and more particularly to a trenching hoe. including structure forcutting into the side walls of the bottom of a trench to provide aspread footing.

The invention herein has for one of its principal objects the provisionof a structure adapted to be employed with a trenching hoe, andincluding a bucket having diverging wings pivotally mounted at each sidethereof which are selectively caused to project outward by anhydraulically actuated toggle linkage. The ability of the device to cutadditional cross section at the sides and bottom of a trench to providea spread footing for a concrete structure thus enhances its usefulness.The diverging wings, being in alignment with the sides of the excavationbucket when not in use, enable the excavation bucket to be used forroutine digging work without any additional time wasting operations.

It is another object to provide a trenching hoe bucket with structureenabling the same to fulfill the dual purpose of doing ordinary diggingor trenching, with the additional function of the cutting of additionalcross section for a spread footing.

Other and further objects of this invention will become more readilyapparent from reading the specification taken together with theaccompanying drawings which shown a preferred embodiment of theinvention wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a trenching hoe having the improvementsaccording to the present invention incorporated therein;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of hoe bucket seen in FIG. 1 taken on a planepassing through the lines 2-2 of FIG. 1, and looking in the direction ofthe arrows;

FIG. 3 is an end view looking in the direction of the arrows 3-3 of FIG.2;

FIG. 4 is an elevational view taken substantially along the line 44 ofFIG. 3, looking in the direction of the arrows; and

FIG. 5 is a transverse sectional view through a trench that has beenwidened at the bottom with the improved structure according to theinvention.

Referring now to the drawings, the preferred embodiment of the inventionis illustrated in FIG. 1, and is embodied in a trenching hoe referred toby the reference numeral 10, and pivotally mounted at an abutment a atthe rear of a tractor 11, partially shown. Hoe 10 includes a boom 12pivotally connected at 12a to the abutment 10a. A dipper stick 16 ispivoted at 16a to the boom 12 and a hoe bucket 20 is pivotally connectedat 16a to dipper stick 16.

Hoe bucket 20 is formed of a pair of laterally spaced side plates 20bwhich are joined by welding to back plates 200, a top plate 20d and abottom plate 2012. Plate 20d has a pair of cars 21 extending therefromwhich flank the dipper stick 16, and the ears 21 are pivotally connectedat 16a to the dipper stick 16 by a pin 16b passing through the sides ofdipper stick 16 and the ears 21.

An actuating cylinder 22 for bucket 20 lies along the upper side ofdipper stick 16, and has a piston rod 22a connected to a pin 22bsupported by the ears 21. Actuating cylinder 22 is pivotally connectedat 22b to dipper stick 16, and is supplied with actuating fluid by lines220 from the retractor 11 where control structure, not shown, islocated.

Dipper stick 16 is adjusted in its position with respect to, boom 12 byan actuating cyclinder 18 having a piston rod 18a pivotal-1y connectedat 18b to dipper stick 16. The other end of cylinder 18 is pivotallyconnected at to boom 12, and actuating fluid for cylinder 18 is suppliedby lines 18d.

Boom 12 is adjusted in position with respect to tractor 11 by a cylinder19 acting between point19a on abutment 10a and point 19b on boom 12.

Hoe bucket 20 is of a shape which is common to such type buckets, and isprovided with an opening 20] in each opposing side wall 20b thereof. Theholes 20 are closed by a scraper wing 32, each having a pintle 31received at their upper and lower ends in pintle holding members 31bsecured by welding to the sides 20b of bucket 20. Each wing 31 issubstantially trapezoidal in shape with an upper inclined surface 32aand saw tooth ends 32b, and wings 31 are supported near the bottom ofbucket 20 in order to widen a trench at the bottom thereof. As seen inFIG..4 openings 20 are substantially the same size and shape as thewings 32, so that wings 32 overlap openings 20).

Cylinder 24 has a piston rod 24b pivotally connected at 26a to a bellcrank 26. Bell crank 26 is pivotally connected at 26b to an abutment 26dextending between the sides 20b of bucket 20. Bell crank 26 has an arm26c connected at 28a to a toggle rod 28. The other end 28b of the togglerod 28 is pivotally attached to a vertical spindle 30. A pair of togglearms 29 are pivotally connected at their inner ends to spindle 30, andthe other end of each toggle arms 30 is fixed to its correspondingpintle 31. The toggle arms 29 extend from their corresponding pintles 31at such an angle that when the bell crank is rocked in acounter-clockwise direction as seen in FIG. 4, the two toggle arms 29occupy a straight away position as seen in FIG. 2, with thecorresponding wings 32 in the extended or open position.

Structure is provided to lock the wings in their extended position untilthe toggle cylinder 24 is actuated in a return direction. Such lockingstructure insures that the toggle arm-s 29 maintain the straightawayposition and includes a locking lug 2% extending downward from the sideof the upper toggle arm 29 and a similar lug 29c extending upward fromthe other toggle arm 29.

In operation, the bucket 20 is moved so that it digs a trench havingconventional vertical side walls. The bucket 20 is adapted during orafter the trenching operation to cut additional cross section to definespace for a spread footing SF, as seen in FIG. 5, when a concrete massis poured into the trench. When the hydraulic toggle cylinder 24 isactuated, the spindle 30 of the toggle linkage is caused to move intoits straightaway position, as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 4, therebycausing the wings 32 to be in an open position. The movement to openposition is done when the bucket is moving, so that the wings 32 haveforward motion while extending to give a shearing action at the trenchbottom. The openings 20 in the side walls 20b of bucket enable theexcavated material to move readily in-to bucket 20.

It will be seen that there has been provided a digging device having thedual function of both conventional trenching and the digging of an extracross section for a spread footing. The wings being in alignment withthe sides of the bucket during normal digging operation enable the sameto be utilized for conventional digging, and when the extra crosssection is desired at the trench bottom for a spread footing, the wingscan be brought into operation.

Although there has been illustrated a novel arrangement including anexcavating bucket in the environment of a backhoe having a boom anddipper stick, it is not intended to restrict the invention to theenvironment shown, and other expedients in the art are contemplated.

While the invention has been described in terms of a preferredembodiment, it is for purposes of illustration only, and the inventionis therefore intended to be defined only by the claims here appended.

I claim:

1. An excavation bucket that can be utilized for both trenching and thecutting of additional cross-section at the bottom of a trenchcomprising: a pair of opposing sides, a pair of diverging wings, each ofsaid diverging wings being pivotally mounted to one of said opposingsides, said diverging wings having open and closed positions, saiddiverging wings being in alignment with said sides of said excavationbucket in their closed position, said diverging wings projecting outwardfrom said sides in their open positon, said pair of opposing sides haveopenings that are substantially of the same size and shape as saiddiverging wings, said diverging Wings being positioned over saidopenings when in said closed position, and means for selectivelyactuating said diverging Wings to said open and said closed positions.

2. An excavation bucket as defined in claim 1 wherein a toggle arm isassociated with each of said diverging Wings, a spindle disposed betweensaid diverging Wings is pivota-lly associated with said arms to form atoggle linkage, said spindle being in one position When said divergingwings are in said open position, and being in a second position whensaid diverging Wings are in their closed position, and said means forselectively acuating said diverging Wings is associated with said togglelinkage to move said spindle to its first and second positions, wherebysaid diverging wings are caused to move to said open position withtoggle linkage leverage and provide additional cross section in thebottom of a trench and wherein said spindle cooperates with lockingmeans on said toggle arms to maintain said toggle arms in a straightawayposition when said diverging wings are in extended position.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 9/1951 Markkula.

5/1963 Plath 37118

1. AN EXCAVATION BUCKET THAT CAN BE UTILIZED FOR BOTH TRENCHING AND THECUTTING OF ADDITIONAL CROSS-SECTION AT THE BOTTOM OF A TRENCHCOMPRISING: A PAIR OF OPPOSING SIDES, A PAIR OF DIVERGING WINGS, EACH OFSAID DIVERGING WINGS BEING PIVOTALLY MOUNTED TO ONE OF SAID OPPOSINGSIDES, SAID DIVERGING WINGS HAVING OPEN AND CLOSED POSITIONS, SAIDDIVERGING WINGS BEING IN ALIGNMENT WITH SAID SIDES OF SAID EXCAVATIONBUCKET IN THEIR CLOSED POSI-